It's like a dream come true – 13 previously unissued recordings by Roy Ayers, all from the height of his glory years on Polydor! Roy's work from this time is some of our favorite ever – a burning blend of jazz, soul, and funk – handled with impeccable charm, and a level of soul that few other artists of the time ever matched. Roy's genius was strongly documented at the time by a series of excellent Polydor albums – but there was also a heck of a lot of great material that never saw the light of day, and which is every bit as great as the classics that we've come to know and love over the years. Hearing this set is incredible – like upping our already-massive appreciation of Roy's talents, and like finding a lost corner of soul music history that nobody's ever heard before. The tunes are all amazing – a great blend of jazzy soul, mellow soul, and dancefloor groovers – and the package is only the tip of the iceberg, from what we've been told! The full album does a great job to not cross over too much with the 12" singles previously issued in this "Virgin" series – and titles include "What's The T", "I Really Love You", "Sugar", "Mystery Of Love", "Green & Gold", "Brand New Feeling", "I Did It In Seattle", "I Just Wanna Give It Up", "Together Forever", "Boogie Down", "I Am Your Mind", and a great alternate version of "Mystic Voyage"! CD

The genius of Roy Ayers knows no end – and as this set of unreleased work from the 70s proves, Roy was always working at top form back in the day – even above and beyond his classic albums from the time! The grooves here are tremendous – funky, soulful, jazzy, and every bit as wonderful as the work that Roy did for his classic albums on Polydor – and in a way, the whole set's even tighter and heavier than any of Roy's full LPs, because it's a distillation of his sound from the time, hand-picked from the vaults with an ear towards the kind of timeless grooves that have been a huge influence on many worlds of music for years! You've never heard any of these tunes before, but we can promise you'll love them every bit as much as Roy's tracks on albums like Coffy, Vibrations, Mystic Voyage, and other classics – and the quality of the set only further pushes our jaw-dropping respect for the man! Titles include "Holiday", "Kwajilori", "I Am Your Mind (part 2)", "Touch Of Class", "Third Time", "Come To Me", "Wide Open", "Funk In The Hole", "Liquid Love", "Tarzan", "Sunshine (demo)", and "I Like The Way You Do It To Me". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – and one of the rarest! The record is right in the same vein as Roy's groundbreaking He's Coming LP – a righteous mix of soul jazz, subtle funk, and some of the cosmic wisdom that Roy was spreading among the jazz funk underground – all wrapped up beautifully, but never in a way that's like commercial soul of the time. There's a few instrumental tracks on the album, plus some vocal ones that show that off-beat male/female style that Roy would use more famously in later tracks like "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" or his work with Ramp. Players include Harry Whitaker on electric piano, Edwin Birdsong on organ, Alphonse Mouzon on drums, Jumma Santos on congas – and titles include a version of Nat Adderley's "Hummin", done as "Hummin In The Sun", and very much in the Ramp vein. Also features instrumental cuts "The Fuzz", which has Roy's vibes toned way up, and the cool mellow "The Painted Desert", a really offbeat slow jazz number. The group also does a great job with Edwin Birdsong's "Pretty Brown Skin", picking up the song as a really anthemic groover that gives the record a nice kick! CD also includes the rare 45-only track "He Gives Us All His Love" – originally done for the movie Cold Turkey. CD

It's like a dream come true – 13 previously unissued recordings by Roy Ayers, all from the height of his glory years on Polydor! Roy's work from this time is some of our favorite ever – a burning blend of jazz, soul, and funk – handled with impeccable charm, and a level of soul that few other artists of the time ever matched. Roy's genius was strongly documented at the time by a series of excellent Polydor albums – but there was also a heck of a lot of great material that never saw the light of day, and which is every bit as great as the classics that we've come to know and love over the years. Hearing this set is incredible – like upping our already-massive appreciation of Roy's talents, and like finding a lost corner of soul music history that nobody's ever heard before. The tunes are all amazing – a great blend of jazzy soul, mellow soul, and dancefloor groovers – and the package is only the tip of the iceberg, from what we've been told! The full album does a great job to not cross over too much with the 12" singles previously issued in this "Virgin" series – and titles include "What's The T", "I Really Love You", "Sugar", "Mystery Of Love", "Green & Gold", "Brand New Feeling", "I Did It In Seattle", "I Just Wanna Give It Up", "Together Forever", "Boogie Down", "I Am Your Mind", and a great alternate version of "Mystic Voyage"! LP, Vinyl record album

The sound of Detroit rises high on this excellent full length set from John Arnold – a wonderfully soulful set of skittish beats and jazzy grooves! Arnold's working here with artists that include Amp Fiddler, Ayro, Malik Alston, and Mady Kouyate – and grooving in a style that reminds us a lot of our favorite recent underground work from London, but which also has a lot of the pulsating soul of the Detroit scene of the past 20 years! Tunes shift easily between instrumentals and vocal numbers – always with some over the top touches that sets them apart from the run of the mill – and titles include "Broken", "Fabric", "Anaconda", "Neighborhood Science", "Get Yourself Together", and "I Can Be". CD

A massive amount of rare work from East Bay funk maestro Eugene Blacknell – an artist who never cut a full album, but managed to record a lot of great funky tracks over the years! This package is the first ever full length set to focus on Eugene's work, and it's a treasure trove of guitar-heavy groovers – starting with some rough-edged, raw R&B-styled funk – then moving into some fuller party funk and boogie-styled numbers! Eugene's guitar is fully in the lead on most tracks – and the vibe of the later work is in a space that's somewhere between Bootsy Collins and Shuggie Otis – a very good place to be, in our opinion. The package was done in collaboration with Eugene's son, and features rare singles, remastered cuts, and even some exclusive and live tracks that have never seen the light of day before. The set features a whopping 25 tracks in all, all with great notes on Eugene's music and story – and titles that include "Cousin John", "Mo Self", "Jump Back", "Getting Down", "The Trip", "Dance To The Rhythm", "For The Sake Of Love", "Jive Kinda Friends", "Wah Wah Funk", "Space Funk", "Don't Stop Now", "Grov-ve Monkey", and even a few rare radio spots! CD

A really wonderful set of grooves – much richer, jazzier, and more soulful than we would have expected – and a great full length introduction to the work of Bosq! Bosq's a name that's been brimming around on singles recently – but on this full album, he really opens up with a wonderfully deep groove – one that's inspired by older styles of jazz, Latin, Brazilian, and even Afro Funk modes – but put together in ways that often mix organic and live instrumentation with some studio production too – yet always at a level that still retains all the warmth of the elements at the core! These are some of the best sounds we've heard from Ubiquity in awhile, and the record's a real return to the mix of classic and contemporary that first made us fall in love with the label. The set features guest work from Kon, Tita Lima, Kaleta, and others – and titles include "More Heavy", "Up & Down (NYC 91 mix)", "Tear It Out", "Getting There", "Movin On", "Pura Candela", "Paciencia De Jo", "Never Feel Cold", and "Get Involved". CD

Bosq returns with even more brilliantly soulful sounds than on the debut – it's one of the most diverse dancefloor ready set of grooves on the Ubiquity label in years! Bosq's love for classic percussion heavy jams from across the globe is on full display – from Afro Soul, to Latin, to Brazilian and stateside styles – but the sound is ultimately very fresh, particularly in the way he blends so many influences into a distinctive whole. Bosq himself plays piano, Rhodes, organ, synth, bass and percussion – and the impressive guest roster of vocalists and instrumentalists includes funky soul diva Nicole Willis, Kaleta, Jimmy Riley, Angeline Morrison and more! Titles include "Cumbia En Bahia", "Bounce And Pull Up" with Evan Laflamme, ""Ella" feat Jesus Pagan, "Bad For Me" with Nicole Willis, "Change" feat Jimmy Riley, Take Over", "Pap The Price" and "Liars & Thieves Dub" with Kaleta, "Laughs On Me" with Angeline Morrison and the hard grooving title track. CD

A sweet return to Brown Sabbath territory – that wicked blend of deep funk rhythms and fuzzy guitar, served up by the Brownout collective! The groove has some of the Latin elements that you'd know from Adrian Quesada's other work – but the rising guitar lines dominate a lot more – as do the horns, which crest nicely above the music, to ensure that there's a bit more soul here than on the original Black Sabbath versions of the songs! Yet the vocals by Alex Marrero are also sometimes right in Ozzy territory – which brings things back to base a bit – making for one of the most unusual takes on the music of Black Sabbath you'll ever hope to hear. Titles include "Fairies Wear Boots", "Snowblind", "Supernaut", "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", "Sweet Leaf", "Electric Funeral", and "Children Of The Grave". LP, Vinyl record album

That's a pretty trippy cover on the front, and an image that really sums up the vibe of this excellent record from Kaleta – a set that's even sharper and funkier than any of his previous efforts – yet which has some nicely way out qualities too! The instrumentation is heavy on elements from old school funk – both Afro and Anglo – but the execution is very individual, and graced strongly by the wicked guitar work of the leader – who steps out in front of the band with the majesty of some West African genius from years back – calling out boldly with his lyrics, and turning out guitar parts that clearly know the farther reaches of the fuzzy spectrum, but which also never stray too far from the groove to get lost in their own space! Everything is tight and right on the money – and the record packs a lot more punch than some of its contemporaries, as you'll hear on titles that include "Hungry Man Angry Man", "Jibiti", "Goyito", "Medaho", "La Guele", "Adjoto", and "Gogo Rock". CD

New work from legendary Cali soul singer Mike James Kirkland – working here with some nice lean backing from Cold Diamond & Mink – who keep things as laidback and funky as on his classic records from the 70s! Mike's voice has aged a bit as the decades have gone on – but he's still got a great way with a mellow soul tune like this – and gives the group plenty of time to shine on their own on the flipside! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Mistura Pura, aka Federica Grappasonni, is as much of a vinyl collector as a producer and musician – and that depth of musical interest really comes through in this double length set! The tracks have lots of elements that draw on styles from the 60s and 70s – but the beats are often quicker, and the overall sound a bit clubbier – yet still has a vibe that's very original overall, and which hardly sounds like easy remix remakes of tracks from back in the day! There's lots of live instrumentation throughout – Fender Rhodes, Hammond, acoustic bass, flute, tenor, and plenty of percussion – all reworked by Federica, who adds in more percussion and keyboards too. Titles include "Midnight For Tommy", "Artistry In Rhythm (Mistura Pura rework)", "Stop Into The Bossa", "Summer Breeze", "Puerto Rican Blues (Mistura Pura rework)", "Street Beat", "African Circles", and "A Prayer For Odara". LP, Vinyl record album

Very spiritual sounds from Baast – a group with roots in the Heru Avenger/Initiates International world at the early part of this century – re-emerging here with an even sharper sound! Heru Avenger John Basil is in the group on bass, and is credited with "visions" for the lineup – and R Scott co-leads on keyboards, which often get the chance to spin out in these really great ways. But there's also definitely some strong group energy going on – a more collaborative, spiritual feel – from instrumentation that includes woodwinds, vibes, harp, theremin, viola, wood flute, and a lot of percussion. Titles include "Pharoah's Serpent", "Her Deadly Oasis", "The Anubis Dawn", "Translations", and "Teleportation". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet and salty psych-soul-rock-funk from Adrian Quesada and Shawn Lee, working together as The Electric Peanut Butter Company! They're a company of just 2, handling every aspect themselves, but if you if ever heard anything by either party, you know this is going to have a huge sound. Lots of fuzzed out psych funk touches on this one – a mix of heady instrumentals and some fun vocal numbers. Shawn handles the singing, and the duo are both multi-instrumentalists and leftfield funk geniuses – managing to work with myriad influences without sounding exactly like anyone but themselves. The drums, guitars and keyboards are masterful here, but there's a lot of cool instrumental and production touches throughout. Vol 1 is actually the duo's second album – the first was Vol 2 (naturally!) – and it delivers on the diverse debut, and then some! Includes "Flexi Funk", "Beer Good", "Spread The Jam", "Stealio", "Tennis Elbow", "Mister Pink", "Austin City Limiter", "Go Go Go", "Damn Skippy", "Jenn Wu", "Fat Budda" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Luv N Haight has done it again! This totally cool reissue of a very very lost funky LP is a real monster, and another reissue feather in the cap of the great Luv N Haight catalog. The hot and funky Johnny Lewis Quartet recorded this massive slab of jazz in the early 70's, when the group's lineup consisted of organ, tenor, guitar, and very very drums. The LP contains some excellent covers of "Cissy Strut", "Blue Funk", and "Chitlins Con Carne" – plus a great original called "Shuckin N Jivin". This reissue also includes a cover of "Them Changes" that wasn't on the original release, which is a very cool bonus, and which sounds very hard and funky. The LP's filled with hard drum breaks, great jazzy solos, and lots of very cool funky grooves. Even if you think you've already got too many obscure jazz funk albums, don't pass this one up! It's a totally great addition to any collection, and even though we didn't know it until we got this reissue, we've been playing it non-stop since we got it! CD

One of the best blends of global funky elements we've ever heard – a hip little project that draws on dub, funk, Latin, Ethio-jazz, and more – all handled beautifully by a west coast collective of players from Orgone, Breakestra, Sound Directions, and Connie Price & The Keystones! Imagine a reggae project issued by Stones Throw Records, and you've got half of the sound of the set – and since this one's on Ubiquity, it's got a bit more of a straight funk groove at times – an well-tuned ear that really appreciates the classic elements of the music, and which manages to put them together without any sort of cliche! There's no easy "dub remix" sort of feel going on here – and instead, the music's almost all played live with a deep funk sort of energy – but turned outwards to bring in styles from a range of different cultures and sources. Great stuff all around, and a record that's almost more funkily exciting than all those old Jamaican platters you've sorted through trying to get a sound like this! Titles include "Ethio-Steppers", "Hot No Ho", "Cumbia Del Leon", "Lankershim Dub", "Givin Up Food For Jah", "Think", "Fluglin At Dave's", and "Thin Man Skank". CD

An ultra-hip collection of tunes from Ubiquity – all hand-picked by the HVW8 art installation team, and featuring a gamut of groundbreaking urban styles! There's a nice midtempo bounce to the whole package – as hip hop, house, and abstract grooves all come into play through the team's wonderful track selection. And although a few of these tracks have appeared elsewhere, most of them appear to be exclusives and unreleased material! Titles include "To Serve With Love" by Black Spade, "The Hop" by Radio City featuring Bajka, "Blue Jay" by Owusu & Hannibal, "Your Love" by Plantlife featuring Dana Deadly, "Rise Up" by John Arnold with Paul Randolph, "Bruqwah" by Seiji, "Blue Miles" by DJ Language with Lindsey Caldwell, "It's Alright" by Kingsbread featuring Steve Spacek, "Higher" by J-Boogie, "Tambores Te Llaman" by Osunlade, and "Uptown" by Rich Medina. CD

Hot on the heels of the highly acclaimed Latinaires 12" series on Ubiquity, this cool compilation compiles the series' efforts to mix classic Latin grooves with modern electronica production – into a dancefloor blend that's been quite popular with DGA customers these days! The full-length release includes a total of 10 tracks – some from the singles, and some that are additional bonus cuts. Titles include "Atabaque" by Jazzanova, "Octopus" by Capsule 150, "Welcome To The Party (Jazzanova Mix)" by Har-You Percussion Group, "Zum Zum" by Izuru Utsumi, "La Cosa Mas Chunga" by Modaji, and "Latinaire (Batucada Version)" by Beatless. Nice package, too! CD

More great Latin remix grooves – from one of the most popular series we've ever stocked! As with previous volumes, this set features the work of recent Latin groups and producers, remixed with a modern electronica groove – in the mode of work on Compost, Schema, and other European labels. The groove of this set's pushing past the initial format a bit – to include some of the groundbreaking work from recent Ubiquity artists – and the overall quality level is as high as ever. Titles include "Oya Ye Ye (UFO's Universo mix)" by Snowboy, "Batunova Scat" by The Amalgamation Of Sounz, "Domingo" by Loqate, "Terra Del Fuego" by Viper Squad, "Bronx Blue (Future Life rmx)" by Dave Pike, "Casa Forte (Pathless rmx)" by Snowboy, "Jazzlatinlectrofuzion" by Tempo 2, and "Espacio" by Quorum. CD

A record that's every bit as trippy as its cover – which features two sexy mermaids delivering love to a giant octopus! The sound here is maybe as many-tentacled as the guy in the picture – as it weaves together strands of spiritual jazz, psychedelic folk, and lots of other offbeat elements – all with a heady vibe that's sometimes atmospheric, sometimes more grooving – and which shifts throughout between shorter and longer tracks in the set! The group have ties to the earlier Heru Avenger project – and instrumentation includes percussion, keyboards, theremini, bass, guitar, and lots of processing and effects – on titles that include "Neuron", "Fathmos", "Trident", "Neptune", "Siren", "Tentacle", and "Poseidon". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing bit of falsetto soul – and a tune that's become an anthem around Dusty Groove these days – given how many times we play it in the store! "Didn't I" has an infectious raspy guitar bit at the start, then rolls into harmony vocals, supporting Darondo's wickedly sharp lead! The whole tune's amazing – and it's one you'll be humming for weeks! And while we love the original, we're surprised at how well the reworks come out – versions by Guts, Florent F, and Dave Allison – which all preserve the same vibe as the original – which is also included here on the EP! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A legendary industrial project from the New York scene – a group that features artist Jean Michel Basquiat on vocals – plus Michael Holman and Nick Taylor on vocals, keyboards, and a lot of processing and effects! Instrumentation includes a guitar with a metal file, making tape and steel ball bearings, and lots of odd, unusual, pre-industrial sounds! There's occasional moments of found sound samples, blended with the other elements at a level that's almost more UK post-punk, but with the occasional old school hip hop sensibility – all as dark and moody as the group's name, and surprisingly strong after all these years. The record was so much a genre-crossing effort it was a bit lost at the time, but has since gone on to be the stuff of legend – and titles include "The Man Who", "Gauntlet Of Wrigglys", "Eight Hour Religion", "Figure It Out For Yourself", and "The Mysterious Ashley Bickerton". This 3LP set expands the original record with some remixes from King Britt, Tewz, Hank Shocklee, Todd Rundgren, Gaslamp Killer, and Sal P of Liquid Liquid – plus appearances by Amir Yaghmai and Kool Keith! LP, Vinyl record album

The much anticipated full length debut of Brooklyn Afro Funk and psych soul-influenced combo Ikebe Shakedown – following up their tight, promising EP on the Colemine label with an excellent self-titled set on Ubiquity! One of our favorite things about Ikebe Shakedown's style is the way they blend signature elements of classic Afro Funk and soul with more broadly influenced grooves. Heavy horns and pummeling drums, vamping guitar licks and elastic basslines are prominent and funky – but they work with more measured and spaced out material, too. It's roomy enough to let the individual musicianship shine, and the production is really great. Includes ""Tujumba", "Kumasi Walk", "No Name Bar", "Tame The Beats", "Don't Contradict", "Refuge", "In Circles", "Asa-Sa", "The Hold Up", "The Viking" and "Five Points". 10 tracks on the vinyl. LP, Vinyl record album

That's a pretty trippy cover on the front, and an image that really sums up the vibe of this excellent record from Kaleta – a set that's even sharper and funkier than any of his previous efforts – yet which has some nicely way out qualities too! The instrumentation is heavy on elements from old school funk – both Afro and Anglo – but the execution is very individual, and graced strongly by the wicked guitar work of the leader – who steps out in front of the band with the majesty of some West African genius from years back – calling out boldly with his lyrics, and turning out guitar parts that clearly know the farther reaches of the fuzzy spectrum, but which also never stray too far from the groove to get lost in their own space! Everything is tight and right on the money – and the record packs a lot more punch than some of its contemporaries, as you'll hear on titles that include "Hungry Man Angry Man", "Jibiti", "Goyito", "Medaho", "La Guele", "Adjoto", and "Gogo Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Metheny's seminal sides for ECM, in a trio with Jaco Pastorius and Bob Moses. 8 tracks in all, including "Bright Size Life", "Sirabhorn", "Unity Village", "Missouri Uncompromised", "Midwestern Nights Dream", "Ubiquity Road", "Omaha Celebration" and "Round Trip/Broadway Blues". CD

Funky soul from Betty Padgett and Arthur Foy – resurfacing thanks to our friends at Luv N Haight/Ubiquity! "Sugar Daddy" by Betty Padgett is a wonderful little slice of sunny funk and soulful 70s sounds – she has a really sweet voice, and the tune kicks off with funky drums and hand percussion, punctuated by horns and flute! The tune has a great hook, too, all around first class material. The flip is "Get Up & Dance" by Arthur Foy, kind of a slow rolling left field funky soul tune, with a unique hazy vibe – with odd keys and synth sounds, and an otherwordly vibe that sounds like it's influenced by Roy Ayers productions of the mid-to-late 70s, but really in a smoked out realm all its own! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The great lost Darondo album – amazing Bay Area funky soul from a singular talent – and material that we did not even know existed! It was cut for Ray Dobard's Music City label – purportedly in just a couple of marathon sessions – most of which we've never heard before now, which is mindblowing in and of itself, as we had thought Ubiquity Records mined what little was available of Darondo for their killer Let My People Go compilation. Lo and behold – here's some more, and it's just as incredible! Slinky, stripped down funk and some sweeter soul that's as much influenced by Memphis recordings as it is the Bay Area – but all with Darondo's distinctive, freewheeling gritty baritone and when the mood strikes, piercing falsetto vocals. A total treasure! It has 10 tracks and approximates the album as it should have been issued in 1974 – with "I Don't Understand It", "I'm Gonna Love You", "Didn't I", "Luscious Lady", "Saving My Love", "Gimme Some", "Do You Really Love Me", "Listen To My Song" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A nice selection of songs featured in the hugely successful NWA biopic – with classics by the group and both formative and later solo material Ice Cube, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre – plus earlier funky classics that inspired them by Parliament, Funkadelic, Roy Ayers and Steve Arrington! Spanning eras, it's one classic track after another, be it party funk or gritty gangsta rap – with "Straight Outta Compton", 'Gangsta Gangta", "Dopeman (Remix):, "F*** Tha Police", "Quiet On The Set", "Express Yourself" and more by NWA, "We Want Eazy" by Eazy-E, "No Vaseline" by Ince Cube", "Nuthin But A 'G' Thank" by Dre & Snoop, "Flash Light" by Parliament, "Every Body Loves The Sunshine" by Roy Ayers Ubiquity, "Weak At The Knees" by Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A special four track, double 7" version of work from He's Coming – one of the rarest and greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – really the beginning of the funk years from Roy Ayers Ubiquity! This one's a totally solid mix of soulful jazz, jazzy soul and righteous funk – and it's straight up wonderful all the way through – with a groove that's hugely influential to say the least! Includes the amazing track "We Live In Brooklyn Baby", which has a slow sample bassline in the intro that's just incredible – plus groovy cuts like the spiritual funk classic "He's a Superstar", "Ain't Got Time", and "Fire Weaver". 7-inch, Vinyl record